‘Gurgaon’s wealth has been used to uplift other parts of state’

The move of Rao Inderjit Singh, the sitting MP of Gurgaon, from the Congress party to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has created much furore in the political quarters of Gurgaon. Now, whether his fortunes will be the same in the upcoming general elections under the fold of the saffron party is as discussed a question here as to why he severed his ties with the Congress. HT caught up with the UPA-1 minister of state.

Why did you leave the Congress, your political outfit for nearly 35 years?

I was in the Congress only till I thought it will rise to its preIndependence day glory, but it could not. It was an epitome of integrity then, a force that won our freedom from the tightest of fists, but it has changed now. We have a prime minister who is weak; the Congress has a leadership that is weak; India has been weakened by Congress raj.

What do you think has gone wrong with Gurgaon?

Gurgaon’s wealth has for long been used by the Congress to feed the growth in other parts of Haryana, when the city saw its basic infrastructure crumble. In collusion with private developers, the Congress only did property dealing in Gurgaon.

You were the MP from here for the past two terms. Why did you not do what you wanted?

The Cong ress gover nment always behaved in a step-motherly manner towards Gurgaon. My differences of opinion with Bhupinder Singh Hooda began over this very question. I asked him to give Gurgaon its fair share when nearly 65% of state revenue is generated here. You cannot suck Gurgaon and the south dry and then invest in the growth of your own areas. Hooda has ruled the state as per the Jat versus non-Jat divide.

What do you think of the challenge of the AAP now that Yogendra Yadav is fighting against you?

The Aam Aadmi Party is an infant in the political arena without any experience. It cannot provide a credible alternative to the people as of now; may be after a decade they might. As of now, Narendra Modi is the demand of the people and BJP is the only viable option.

What do you have in mind for Gurgaon if you are voted to power again?

Gurgaon needs basic infrastructure in power, water, garbage disposal, and public transport. Exploitation at the hands of the private colonisers must be stopped. Despite being counted as a metro, Gurgaon is suffering from lack of amenities that define such a town. I appeal to the intelligentsia of Gurgaon to come out and vote more than ever in history; they are needed to save the nation, save Gurgaon.